All The Colors Of The Dark by Chris Whitaker

 

My thoughts

If you read and enjoyed Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver then you will love and enjoy this one. They are different. Way different but both about a boy...

This book spans the years from 1974 to 2021. It's about a boy and a girl. About two friends who would do anything for each other. There are other characters. Major characters. But Patch and Saint are the two that I loved most. They were to misfit children. Two poor children who made a friendship that lasted forever. 

The writing of this book is nothing short of wonderful. A real tearjerker that will leave you breathless. Also will bring smiles and laughter. Hope of a better future for two people who had that kind of friendship that withstood everything. Patch and Saint... 

Patch was a lonely kid of thirteen. He lived alone with his mother after his dad was killed in Vietnam. His mom worked nights and pretty much stayed drunk when she was not working. Patch was bullied, berated, and treated awful by other kids. He only had one eye and thus wore eyepatches. He called himself a pirate and wanted to be one so bad. 

Saint lived with her grandmother. Her mother died shortly after her birth and her grandmother raised her. She was loved dearly but her grandmother was a bit rough. She drove a bus and people called her a dike. Though she had been married to Saint's granddad who had died a few years prior. Saint raised bee's. Honey bees. She developed a love for photography also. Over the years she would become a cop and work for the FBI. She was tough and also gentle. 

Patch saved a young girl when he was only thirteen who was going to be raped and possibly murdered. In the process the young girl got away but Patch was taken. He was held for over 300 days. There he met a girl named Grace. He would spend the better part of his life searching for Grace.... He would be saved and go on to father a child. A daughter. But he was a loner always on the hunt for Grace. The girl who helped keep him alive. 

This is the most heartwarming book. It is written beautifully and in a way that will touch you to your very soul. It's broke down in parts through several years. It is very easy to follow and keeps you wanting to know what happens next. 

This author is now a favorite of mine and I will be looking into more of his work. This book is absolutely stunning. The descriptions. The paintings will call out to you. Or they did me. The many places that Patch went. And the heartache when other things happened. 

From young kids to adults. A man falsely accused of a horrendous thing to another who did despicable acts against young girls. Nothing in detail so it's easy to read. This is a story that will stay with me for a long time. It's in my top list of favorite books. Right up there with Demon Copperhead and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. My other two favorites. 

Five huge stars for this book. It was one of my BOTM choices and I most highly recommend you grab a copy and get comfortable. Bring tissues...

About

From the New York Times bestselling author of We Begin at the End comes a soaring thriller and an epic love story that spans decades.

1975 is a time of change in America. The Vietnam War is ending. Mohammed Ali is fighting Joe Frazier. And in the small town of Monta Clare, Missouri, girls are disappearing.

When the daughter of a wealthy family is targeted, the most unlikely hero emerges—Patch, a local boy with one eye, who saves the girl, and, in doing so, leaves heartache in his wake.

Patch and those who love him soon discover that the line between triumph and tragedy has never been finer. And that their search for answers will lead them to truths that could mean losing one another.

A missing person mystery, a serial killer thriller, a love story, a unique twist on each, Chris Whitaker has written a novel about what lurks in the shadows of obsession, and the blinding light of hope.